Jan Steen, Dutch, 1626-1679
Title: The Marriage Feast at Cana
Date: 1665-1670
Medium: Oil on wood panel
Dimensions:
63.5 x 82.5 cm
Credit Line: Presented, Sir Alfred and Lady Beit, 1987 (Beit Collection)
Object Number: NGI.4534
DescriptionThis painting belongs to a group of more than 50 biblical, mythological and literary scenes by Steen, who is otherwise known for his dissolute households with a moralising character. Most of his narrative scenes, however, resemble his genre paintings in character. Here, Steen reduces Christ’s first public miracle, the transformation of water into wine at a wedding in Cana, to a small detail. The artist places more emphasis on the wedding guests drinking and making merry.
Steen includes a wealth of detail, such as the drunk man at the foot of the stairs being encouraged to return home by his long-suffering wife, and the ornately dressed guests and servants to the left. The young man in orange, who gestures towards the fountain and looks towards Christ, underscores the true meaning of the miracle and reminds us that wine should be enjoyed in measure. The innkeeper may be an idealised self-portrait, given Steen’s ownership of both a brewery and an inn during his career. The composition wittily derives from Raphael’s fresco The School of Athens in the Vatican.
The quality and finish of Steen’s pictures vary greatly. Some of his best date from the period 1661–1670, when he lived near Haarlem.
March 2016
Steen includes a wealth of detail, such as the drunk man at the foot of the stairs being encouraged to return home by his long-suffering wife, and the ornately dressed guests and servants to the left. The young man in orange, who gestures towards the fountain and looks towards Christ, underscores the true meaning of the miracle and reminds us that wine should be enjoyed in measure. The innkeeper may be an idealised self-portrait, given Steen’s ownership of both a brewery and an inn during his career. The composition wittily derives from Raphael’s fresco The School of Athens in the Vatican.
The quality and finish of Steen’s pictures vary greatly. Some of his best date from the period 1661–1670, when he lived near Haarlem.
March 2016
ProvenanceAmsterdam, 7 April 1806, A. van Hoek sale, lot 17; Amsterdam, 19 July 1809, Bicker and Wijckersloot sale, lot 51; Spaan; Phillips, London, 2 June 1814, Alexis Delahante sale, lot 37; Woodburn; London, 1815, sale; Paris, 1829, Amedee Constantin sale; Nieuwenhuys, London; Christie’s, London, 10 May 1833, Nieuwenhuys sale, lot 117; Northon; Christie's, London, 24 May 1838, Lord Northwick sale, lot 100; Clowes; Christie's, London, 5 May 1848, Casimir Perier (Paris) sale, lot 14; Woodin; collection John Walter, Bearwood; Alfred Beit between 1895 and 1900; by descent to Otto Beit, 1906; by descent to Sir Alfred Beit, 1930; presented, Sir Alfred and Lady Beit, 1987 (Beit Collection)
Exhibition HistoryThe British Institution, London, 1837
Manchester Art Treasures, Manchester, 1857
The British Institution, London, 1862
Winter Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1882
Pictures by Dutch Masters, Burlington Fine Arts Club, London, 1900
Jan Steen, Dowdeswell Galleries, London, 1909
Jan Steen, De Lakenhal, Leiden, 16 June - August 1926
Dutch Art, 1450-1900, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1929
British Counsel Exhibition, Nottingham, 1945
17th Century Dutch Paintings, National Art Museum, Cape Town, 1952
Paintings from Irish Collections, Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Dublin, 1957
Jan Steen, Mauritshuis, Den Haag, 20 December 1958 - 15 February 1959
Acquisitions 1986-1988, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 1988
Jan Steen: Painter and Storyteller, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 28 April - 18 August 1996; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 21 September 1996 - 12 January 1997
Jan Steen's Histories, Mauritshuis, Den Haag, 15 February - 13 May 2018
Manchester Art Treasures, Manchester, 1857
The British Institution, London, 1862
Winter Exhibition, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1882
Pictures by Dutch Masters, Burlington Fine Arts Club, London, 1900
Jan Steen, Dowdeswell Galleries, London, 1909
Jan Steen, De Lakenhal, Leiden, 16 June - August 1926
Dutch Art, 1450-1900, Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1929
British Counsel Exhibition, Nottingham, 1945
17th Century Dutch Paintings, National Art Museum, Cape Town, 1952
Paintings from Irish Collections, Municipal Gallery of Modern Art, Dublin, 1957
Jan Steen, Mauritshuis, Den Haag, 20 December 1958 - 15 February 1959
Acquisitions 1986-1988, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 1988
Jan Steen: Painter and Storyteller, National Gallery of Art, Washington, 28 April - 18 August 1996; Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, 21 September 1996 - 12 January 1997
Jan Steen's Histories, Mauritshuis, Den Haag, 15 February - 13 May 2018
Label TextChrist’s first public miracle, transforming water into wine at a wedding in Cana, occupies a small place in this painting. Steen put more emphasis on the wedding guests drinking and making merry, which is in accordance with the artist’s repertoire of cheerful companies and dissolute households. Steen included a wealth of detail, such as a drunkard encouraged to return home by his long-suffering wife, and the ornately dressed guests and servants below the stairs. The overall composition wittily derives from Raphael’s monumental fresco depicting The School of Athens in the Vatican.